Hello 2006

Yes, I’m back. Happy New Year. Today’s subject is the new year. Many of you are out there making New Year’s resolutions. I don’t do that. I make promises, promises to myself. This year I promise to do everything and absolutely nothing. Say what? My promise doesn’t make much sense to you do it? Here’s how it goes.

I will do whatever it is I feel like doing. That includes anything and nothing. If one day I want to go out for no reason, dressed differently, and doing something outrageous, so be it. If the next day I have no desire to do one blasted thing, I won’t. Do you see what I’m saying here? My promise to myself is to do what is best for me, day to day. Meaning, I am going to live my life for me. Too many times we all say what we wish to accomplish and succeed at the beginning of each year. Yet, we seem to never meet our goals. I think the reason is we tend to do what we think is the right thing to do and not what we should do. In other words, we live for the approval of others and not for ourselves.

How many times did your New Year’s resolutions include more income and luxury items? How about getting a new job, houses, or car? Let’s not leave out finding a mate and a parcel of new friends. Ever wondered why you never achieve them? It could be because you do it for the image, the status, and the accolades. Not me. I no longer look to the outside to be happy. I look inside myself to see what is really there. What I usually find is a lot less of what I previously thought was happiness and more of what is truly me.

I am content with really simple things in life. I have found harmony and peace in a clean house with the smell of ylang-ylang, vanilla, and rose petals wafting through each room. I find myself happy when each thought I have has been written down with no interruption in the process. I am at my best when I can complete a sudoku puzzle with ease and read a good book in a quiet space. I am elated when I leave home to visit a small relatively unknown museum, old fashion candy store, or just take a neighborhood walk.

Each year I promise myself to do more of hardly anything to discover the me I really am. It is not as hard as you might think. All that is required is grit. The courage and resolve to change the way you have done things in the past. Instead of worrying about what is right and what is wrong, focus on what makes you, you. I find this to be better than making resolutions. The reason being, when you find out who you are and what you want, you manage to accomplish everything you ever wanted to do.

Sylvia Speaks

First, let me say Thank You to all of you out there in cyber space that visit my blog. I once questioned myself about if I should continue this blogging thing or not. Well, many of you told me to keep at it. Because I had no idea if anyone read my blog, I was concerned about wasting my time. I am such an organized writer that I never like losing time doing something (like keeping a blog going) that takes away from my creative spirit. Anyway, you told me not to stop, even if I didn’t get e-mail to tell me that you read what I wrote. So, I am sincerely wishing all of you who do read my view points, a very Happy Holidays.

Moving On

Now, last week I told you about Google.com and their violation of copyright laws. Someone asked me how did I know this. Well, as a member of the National Writers Union and as one on a steering committee, it’s my job to keep up with what effects writers. The union was formed to fight for writers rights. Because freelancers, like myself, are taken advantage of by the big publishing houses and print media, we in the union must keep up with what they do. This is done by staying in the know on anything that has anything to do with the laws as they apply to writers. If you want to know more, visit the National Writers Union at www.nwu.org. In the near future you will be hearing more and more from the union because we are going to be picking up the pace and raising some hell. Writers are also suffering from the outsourcing and the same myriad of problems other workers in America are suffering. I will attempt to keep you up to date.

Writers Work

Finally, I don’t have a lot of time this week. I just finished school this past week. I had a presentation, a final test, and one last writing assignment to get done by today. With Xmas coming up very soon and one last assignment for a publishing house, I am in a crunch now to complete it. Therefore, I am so looking forward to some time off. I want and need some time off. So I plan on taking some. When this week comes to an end, you may or may not hear from me. I plan to just do nothing until I feel rested. How long that will take I don’t know. What I do know is, I need some rest so I am going to get some rest. I need some quiet time so I am going to take some quiet time. I need some time to read, so I am going to read. When I feel I have had enough, I will come back. But until then, see ya later!

Google Book Search

Everybody uses Google.com, including me. The on-line giant has added a new link to books. Sound good, doesn’t it? There’s only one catch. Google.com’s book search is in violation of copyright laws. I’m going to take you step by step and explain why.

Step One - You write a book.
Step Two - Book is published.
Step Three - Book has a price.
Step Four - Book is sold at bookstores, Amazon.com, your web site, etc.

Too simple? Not really. Here’s where the problem with Google.com begins. The giant doesn’t buy the books it lists in its book search. The company sends people out to libraries, bookstores, here and over seas, to scan the pages and transmit back to Google. Now they have a copy of your book to be read by millions of people without buying it. That is in violation of copyright laws. Remember on the title page of your book it reads, “All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher.”

Sound like Google.com has done not one thing but, everything listed that the giant shouldn’t do. Google.com has retrieved, transmitted, reproduced, and now stores on their server. Due to that, you and many, many others have access to that which someone else worked hard for and are not being compensated. Google.com doesn’t get permission to do what their doing. The company is flipping a birdie to every author. They’re saying, “screw you.” And they’re doing it all under the guise of “freedom of the press.”

So, this is what I ask of all the readers out there. Don’t do it. Don’t click on that book link at Google.com. Unlike, at Amazon.com, the authors don’t get paid for what they wrote. If you’re having a hard time understanding why this is so important, picture this. You go to Google.com and click on the book search link. Right before your eyes, the pages of your diary are displayed. You never told anyone they could read them. Yet, there they are for the world to see. Now, you tell me, have you been violated?

But, who am I? Just one author with a view point on the matter.